Middle East

The final statement of the Qatar meeting of the so-called “contact
group” on Libya, made up of countries supporting the UN/NATO
intervention, had many fine phrases that were designed to disguise the
group’s real motives.

The statement was introduced to the media by Qatar’s prime minister
Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jahr Al Thani who said that in Libya, “There
should be an inclusive political process so that the Libyan people can
determine their own future”.

Of course he was only speaking about Libya, the situation in Qatar is
somewhat different. No national elections have ever been held in Qatar.
When Britain granted independence in 1971 it handed power back to the
al-Thani dynasty. For years the monarchy has talked about national
elections some time in the future. As the prime minister told
journalists last November: “elections should be held one day” in Qatar.
(14 November 2010, arabian.business.com)

The CIA’s Factbook currently is very clear when it describes Qatar’s
feudal structure:

Note: in April 2007, Qatar held nationwide elections for a
29-member Central Municipal Council (CMC), which has limited
consultative powers aimed at improving the provision of municipal
services; the first election for the CMC was held in March 1999.
“Legislative branch: unicameral Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura
(35 seats; members appointed)

Note: no legislative elections have been held since 1970 when there
were partial elections to the body; Council members have had their
terms extended every year since the new constitution came into force
on 9 June 2005; the constitution provides for a new 45-member Advisory
Council or Majlis al-Shura; the public would elect 30 members and the
Amir would appoint 15; elections to the Majlis al-Shura are
tentatively scheduled for June 2010.” [CWI note: these did not take
place.]

While the rising tide of revolution in the Middle East has forced the
Qatar regime now to promise national elections “in the near future” (1
March 2011, Agence France Presse), exactly when, or what real powers the
“Advisory” Council would have are a different matter.

Mubarak with former US President George W. Bush

This revealing aspect of the Qatar meeting should serve as a warning to
those Libyans who have any hopes that they can win democratic rights in
alliance with any of the powers in the “contact group”. All of the
governments in the “contact group”, including the US, France, Britain
etc., sit quite happily alongside the feudal autocratic rulers of Qatar,
the other Gulf states and Saudi Arabia and have no qualms about selling
them weapons. This is because the capitalist powers’ foreign policies
are dictated by the search for profit and to secure influence and
control. For these powers, democratic rights are only seen as propaganda
issues or a means of having a democratic cover behind which they
continue their drive for profit.

For all their fine words the “contact group” would be quite willing to
support a Libyan Ben Ali or Mubarak who acted in their interests; after
all this is what they did for years in Egypt and Tunisia. The fact that
they make no complaint when the self-appointed Interim National Council
gives itself the right to write a new Libyan constitution shows how
limited their support for democratic rights really is.

As we have previously argued, a programme for the Libyan revolution that
will genuinely benefit the mass of the population would be based on
winning and defending real democratic rights. It would demand an end to
corruption and privilege, the safeguarding and further development of
the social gains made since the discovery of oil, opposition to any form
of re-colonisation and for a democratically controlled, publicly-owned
economy planned to use the country’s resources in the interests of the
majority of the population.

Such a programme can cut across tribal and regional divisions and unite
the mass of the population against the Gaddafi clique and the
imperialists’ attempts to regain their positions in Libya and in a joint
struggle for a better future.

There can be no support for the imperialist intervention, despite its UN
colouring. The Libyan working masses and youth should show no trust
whatsoever in the so-called democratic powers. They need to always
remember that up until a few weeks ago the US, Britain, France etc. were
friends of Gaddafi and are still friends and allies of dictators and
rotten regimes like Qatar etc. across the Arab world.

The creation of an independent movement of Libyan workers, poor people
and youth that could implement such a real revolutionary transformation
of the country is the only way to thwart the imperialists’ plans, end
dictatorship, bring the bloody civil conflict to an end and start to
transform the lives of the mass of the people.